WESTMINSTER, Colo. — A man who police said cut off his ankle monitor and killed his ex-wife in Westminster was arrested in Houston, according to an update from Westminster Police (WPD).
James Naulls Jr. was arrested Tuesday outside an auto parts store.
Yasmin Usama Dahabreh, 33, died from her injuries on Monday, Feb. 3, according to a news release from WPD. The Friday before, police responded to a medical call for a woman who had fallen.
Their investigation found the woman had been assaulted, and a warrant for assault and attempted murder was issued for her ex-husband, 30-year-old Naulls Jr.
Upon hearing of Naulls' arrest, Dahabreh's family released the following statement:
“We are elated that he has been arrested… overwhelmed when detectives called and couldn’t stop shaking for hours after hearing the news.”
Naulls Jr. was on pretrial release from a domestic violence incident in November where he was charged with aggravated assault, WPD said. Authorities said he cut off his GPS ankle monitor and has been on the run.
Tuesday afternoon, officers from the Houston Police Department North Tac Unit arrested Naulls after coordinated surveillance efforts. He was exiting an auto parts store and was taken into custody without incident.
Detectives with WPD flew to Houston to follow up on the investigation.
Because Naulls was arrested in Texas, he will appear before a judge for an extradition hearing in the coming days. While awaiting his court appearance, he will be held at the Harris County Joint Processing Center (JPC) on Westminster’s no-bond first-degree murder warrant.
Support from Metro Denver Crime Stoppers significantly assisted in bringing attention to this case, WPD said.
Detectives determined Naulls began wearing costume makeup to hide his tattoos and fled to Texas because there was no place for him to hide in Colorado, WPD said in their latest update.
They believe Naulls had help along the way as he attempted to avoid capture, and WPD said there is a separate investigation focusing on bringing charges against anyone who may have helped him.
The State of Colorado tracks domestic violence fatalities with an annual report and review board. In the 2019 report, released in December, Attorney General, Phil Weiser said the goal of that work is to "improve in every way -- and, most of all, to prevent domestic violence fatalities and near-death incidents."
"Unfortunately, domestic violence is an issue that affects every community, every neighborhood, every demographic group," said Margaret Abrams, the Executive Director of the Rose Andom Center.
The center helps connect domestic violence victims to services they need, like legal assistance, housing, health care and public benefits. Abrams and her team were not involved in the Westminster investigation.
But, she said they can provide context on how complicated cases like this can be.
"Fear can be a very strong factor in being able to see what your choices may or may not be," Abrams said, referring to victims of domestic violence. "It isn’t a simple answer, ever. For most of us, any big change we make in our life is a process of sorting through pros and cons. And that’s in the best of circumstances: when we're not having someone threaten our safety if we make a certain decision one way or another."
She emphasized the importance of talking to someone about the abuse and ways to find safety -- whether its a friend, family member or someone trusted.
"It's important to talk about. That oftentimes - for victims - they don't feel like they can do," she said. "Sometimes it's because they receive a threat, 'Don’t share this, don’t talk about it, don’t tell anyone what happened.' Sometimes it really is just from embarrassment. None of us wants to share when relationships are going badly, going wrong, and feeling judged about that. But when you’re not feeling safe, it is important to pay attention to, it's important to talk about."
If you are in an abusive relationship, there is help.
- Safehouse Denver: (303) 318-9989
- Gateway Battered Woman's Services: (303) 343-1851
- The Crisis Center: (303) 688-8484
- Family Tree/Women in Crisis: (303) 420-6752
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233
- Denver Rescue Mission: (303) 297-1815
- United Way Helpline: 2-1-1
- Colorado Organization for Victim Assistance (COVA): (303) 861-1160
- Justice and Mercy Legal Aid Clinic (JAMLAC): (303) 839-1008
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